Scramble with Fighter Pilots of the Chinese Air Force

From Popular Mechanics

A video promoting the People's Liberation Army Air Force-informally known as the Chinese Air Force-has surfaced on YouTube. The video attempts to show the PLAAF as a service fully prepared to defend the country's air space, as well as contribute to fights on the ground and at sea, at a moment's notice.

The video starts with children playing in a field of flowers, wearing various national dresses of China's various regions. Suddenly, shattering the peace of this scene, Chinese air force pilots quickly scramble to their planes.

The video features China's latest fighter planes, including the Russian-made Su-30MKK multi-role fighter (or possibly the J-11 or J-16 fighters-the three are so similar it's difficult to tell them apart). Also included is the J-10 "Vigorous Dragon" single engine fighter. The Chinese fighters valiantly engage a mysterious enemy fighter force and are victorious.

Next, at 4:19 the JH-7 "Flying Leopard" ground attack planes move in, presumably as part of a counterattack. At 4:34 the HQ-9 air defense missile system-roughly equivalent to the American Patriot PAC-2 missile, is visible, helping keep the skies free of enemy planes. 4:44 introduces the KJ-200, sort of a miniature version of the American AWACS early warning and command and control plane. Finally, H-6K bombers pound enemy ships with sticks of bombs.

The video shows differences between how the Chinese Air Force and U.S. Air Force portray themselves. The video is big on Chinese fighter pilots marching in formation to their planes, while cry fromAmerican pilots swaggering in ones and twos to their Raptors, Vipers, and Hornets. USAF pilots are shown as heroic individuals; Chinese pilots issue exacting commands to their nameless wingmen ("No. 3, drop height").

The video does mix things up at times. A shot of a J-16 fighter launching an anti-ship missile quickly transitions to an exploding airplane. The video tells a story-broadly speaking-but there is no way to follow individual pilots and planes-which in a communist air force is probably intentional.

Despite China's aggressive stance lately, the video is strictly defensive in nature. China is attacked, the air force beats the enemy, and the air force goes home. End of story.

Watch the video here: